The Oldest
by AyeJ
Summary: A young, selfless Hinata allows herself to be beaten and abused by a distant uncle to protect her sister. As soon as she gets the chance to run, she does. Years later, a small Konoha rebellion pleads help from a group of assassins to revolt against a demented leader. Where being caught means being Silenced, is this cruel village even worth saving?
1. Chapter 1

Hi, hello. I'm Aj. This isn't my first story on here, I used to have an account and I am revising this story I wrote. It was intruiging from what I can tell from the old reviews but I feel as though it could have been better written so I'm rewriting it in. I never had an ending in the old version of this story so as it progresses the chapters will be coming slower (that and chemistry this quarter is murdering me). I do not own Naruto or anything I may have based this story off of. Enjoy!

The Oldest

Hinata

One of the first lessons a new nin is trained in is pain management. You're taught how to keep going with a broken limb, how to think responsibly with a concussion, and most relevant in my opinion, how to position your body if you're outmatched and getting attacked.

It is recommended, though rarely heeded, that nin take a class to control their minds as well. You're taught how to block out certain memories as well as how to hide your consciousness, to tuck it away in a shell so you don't have to witness your body being betrayed. That's the class I used the most, honestly. Being able to hide myself away so I don't have to see his hands on me, being able to get up an hour after the crime, bathe, hide the bruises and move on as if you're not broken inside.

There's only so much you can do, though. The mind was meant to store things, not burn them. You'll get to a point when even your brain turns against you, where you have no choice but to remember, to think about it. To hate yourself.

Even a body trained to maintain, to store energy like most bodies store fats can run empty. I was on empty now. I was curled up on the floor, remembering my lessons in these kinds of situations. Protect your head, your precious eyes, and your ribs if you can but he was done at that point.

I watched in disgust as my uncle's hand's softened as another appendage of his hardened. I tucked my consciousness away as best I could but I could not keep my eyes from following him. My shyness had gone, I was a pretty apathetic person now but I could not deny the hate and rage in my eyes. Neither could this monster I had trusted as a child.

My rage amused him; I could see it in his sneer. If emotions could push a person, he'd be dead by now. But my body was finished, exhausted, and all I could do was lie there and wait for him to turn my white skin purple, to bruise and tear my most tender places.

People knew about this, I'm sure. I hid it at first but came out to my father. I was dirtied, no longer a maiden but I shivered at the thought of his hands on my sister. Neji's father would protect him from our uncle but all Hanabi and I had was our father. Or rather, all Hanabi had was me. Father didn't believe his older brother could do something so horrible to his own niece even after I showed him the blood and the bruises.

Kurenai tried, I'll give it to the woman. She stepped forward, she raged and screamed but she had no proof. After all, a ninja with bruises and broken bones was not proof enough to send a powerful man of a powerful family to jail.

It was well known in Konohagakure about this man, for what's it worth people tried to take me away. I was tempted, I won't deny it but I refused to leave Hanabi to this man. She was small, still fairly flat and hadn't drawn his attention yet. If my supple chest and feminine hips were all that protected her, so be it. As if father would make me an heir now anyways.

We were in my room, a large, mostly empty room with smooth hardwood floors. There were blotches where I had bled it had stained the wood. The man stood over me, one of the few Hyuga members with short hair, and undid his robe. I was repulsed instantly, turning my eyes to the window looking for the stars. I was bleeding but due to my training was conscious, aware. I was aware of the black sky, I was aware that I was losing too much blood – and not enough at the same time- I was aware of this disgusting man at my side. I was aware of a strong, unfamiliar chakra nearby.

I blinked, edging just enough of my mind out of the shell so I could pay more attention. My uncle had settled himself on top of me, bruising my wrists and not paying attention to our surrounding. My eyes caught movement at the window, the blackness shifted into the room and soon I could see stars.

I'm not proud of my wandering mind but after what I've been through, I became damaged. I focused on the stars, let my mind wander into the cool space so that my uncle and I both yelped in surprise when he was ripped of me and thrown against my bedroom wall. He had had such a firm grip on my wrists that I was forced into a sitting position, topless, to witness him slide down the wall.

Orange and yellow was in my vision suddenly. In the mental state I was in I didn't bother to cover myself, I had on modest panties and my sweet, torn fur hoodie. Neither were doing much to cover me. My uncle was in shock and intruder strode to him, forcing him against the wall again.

"You will not touch her!"

I blinked and more of my conscious mind resurfaced. Naruto? My situation was well known in the village but no one had made the move to physically step in. The blond had positioned himself behind me, no bigger than me but so much stronger, so much angrier. I slowly turned my head to my closet door, a floor length mirror attached to it.

There was more blood than usual. Both my lips were busted and my wrist seemed to be at an unnatural angle and blotchy. My breasts and ribs were both badly bruised with small cuts. You could just make out scratches on my neck and shoulders. A nin was used to be wounded but not like this, not by someone you once loved.

Often the abuse did not get this bad. Uncle tended to wait until Hanabi was asleep and Neji was out. There was not much Hanabi could do to save me though Neji did all he could. He made himself a constant visitor in my room, going so far as to sleep on my bedroom floor on the nights when father was out. But Neji was a few levels higher than I and even he couldn't be there always. He had been sent on a mission, gone for ten days and uncle had taken advantage all of those days. Neji was back tonight. Uncle was probably getting his fill before Neji could step in again.

Naruto had interrupted this.

My attention was drawn back to my current situation as Uncle reared back and slammed a fist into Naruto's head. I let out a strangled moan, wanting to help but not being able to move. I had never seen him hit anyone but me. He swung at Neji on a few drunken occasions but never laid a punch. There was a crunch of fist on bone but Naruto did not step down.

"You filthy little reject! How dare you come here without an invite! Do you have any idea whose rage you are invoking? Leave! Now!"

Naruto spread his arms, hiding my body from Uncle's hungry eyes. I watched him for a moment before tilting my head. The soft thump of shoes echoed down the hallway before my door slid open. Neji stood, panting in my door way. His brown hair had escaped their band was sticking to his forehead. He had a long cut on his cheek and the telltale signs of a mission just finished. I smiled dizzily at him. I was popular today.

He blinked at me and turned his blank eyes towards our uncle. I watched him as he made the connection between my naked, bruised body and his furiously red uncle. Quietly he stood next to Naruto completely hiding me from view.

"Uncle. You will stop."

"You will betray your own family?" he roared at his nephew.

"You are the one betraying us! You touch your own family simply because she knows better than to fight back! You have turned our family into a disgusting joke," Neji sounded almost pleading. He was torn between the famous Hyuga pride and protecting me. Poor guy.

Uncle looked embarrassed, furious. He opened his mouth to argue, blushed red and stormed from the room. Always he must say the last word. Though he eyes couldn't find me his words were for me, and me alone.

"You are garbage. Impure, disgusting garbage. I will make your life in this village very horrible and very short."

As he slammed my door shut, Neji turned and warmed his arms around me. I whimpered, I was hurt so he let go. Naruto stayed with his back to me as Neji found a soft, silk long sleeved shirt and helped me into it. After I was mostly decent Naruto finally turned and studied me. I was still in my panties but all my shame was spent. I didn't so much as blush as his eyes traveled up my damaged legs to my bruised and battered torso. "She can't stay here," he said without looking at Neji. Neji looked up from the small bag he was packing for me. He was slightly red in the face as he packed me some undergarments but nodded in agreement.

"She can stay with Tenten. She lives alone and can defend herself if Uncle comes looking," he said and he swung my pack over his shoulders. "Can you walk?"

I didn't reply, I was virtually dead to the world. I could not be bothered. Without a word and as gently as he could, Naruto urged me onto his small back lifting me up off the ground. It was a great relief to be off the unforgivingly hard floor. They walked down the hallway, Naruto a bit stiffly to keep me from shifting too much. Neji opened the front door, waited until we were through and shut it behind us.

Once we got to Tenten's small apartment, the boys decided to stay with us. Tenten was furious by my appearance, lending me some too long leggings to cover up my sore legs. Neji whispered to her, at one point holding her so she wouldn't bolt out the door. Eventually they just retired to her room, shyly as if we didn't know. I got a soft couch and Naruto curled into a ball on the floor. He whispered to me for a while, reassurances in that brave, brutal way of his. He tried but the boy was young. Not all demons could be tamed with chakra and force. Very quickly everyone but me was snoring but my eyes were still open, searching for demons in the dark. I found none but that meant nothing. They were there and I knew my fragile sanity could take no more abuse, I knew my eyes could see no more cruelty.

I sat up, my powerful eyes being able to pick out Naruto's form in the dark. As softly as my aching muscles would allow, I reached down and touched his scarred cheeks. I felt a flash of fondness for the brave boy. It somehow touched my heart that the boy ran hot when he slept. I touched his hair next surprised by its softness. I've seen how to villagers treated him. We both had our demons though mine were ignored and his were attacked. He tried so hard to be approved of in a place that didn't deserve it. I pressed my sore lips against his cheek.

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice cracking. The first words I'd spoken all day.

He was awake, I know he was. Though it was much too dark for him to see me, I could pick out his blue eyes staring into nothing. He lay still as I stepped over him, breathing slow and relaxed. I picked up my pack and slipped into a pair of Tenten's smaller shoes. She wouldn't mind and I couldn't run for very long barefoot. He must have known what I was doing, I'd never seen the boy so still, but he made no move to stop me. I paused for a moment at the door and watched him for a moment. I inhaled deeply and got a hint of his scent; noodles, trees and warm soil. I'd miss that. But I believed Uncle when he said he'd make my life horrible, and short. My sanity was already quivering and fragile. It wouldn't take much of a push to shatter what little control I had over myself.

"Don't let them bring you to your knees, Naruto. You are the best that will ever be."

I quietly shut the door behind me, repositioned and my pack and took off. I wasn't sure where I was going. I was just trying to outrun my demons.


	2. Chapter 2

**THE OLDEST**

**Naruto**

I think about her sometimes.

I realize it's been years but she still flits across my mind. I realize after so long she's not who I remember. In my mind I see two versions of her: one at school, before she became so damaged, short hair, short stature and so shy and one the night where we tried to save her, voluptuous and bruised but emotionally dead. I say tried because that same night she disappeared. She ran away from the only place she's ever known and no one had seen her since. There was a search party out, people looked for months. Neji was frantic, Hanabi was inconsolable, Kiba and Shino were restless and furious. No one came up with anything. She was declared dead when they found her headband, crusty with dried blood.

I'm not sure I believe that she died. I never told anyone I was awake when she left but, while she was frail she didn't look ready to meet death. She was so damaged but her mouth, when she kissed me, was hot with life. If she had been ready to die she could have stayed here, let her uncle finish her off. I prayed she was okay, alive and healed but knew better than to cross my fingers. Eventually the strains of growing up made her a quiet whisper in the back of my head. I left for training and came back to a home I didn't recognize. New laws and a new leader I didn't understand.

That was years ago and the village of the leaf is no long recognizable. We are ruled by a tyrant we once trusted with no way to fight back. A few of us are looking to rebel; we've created an underground resistance. We are called Silence, kind of a fucked up irony. We've asked for help from other villages but there's not much they can do without starting an all-out turf war and one wild village isn't worth it.

It was wild, the village already so changed by the time I made it back. I didn't realize the change until it was too late to leave. Having a headband with a leaf on it meant you were a prisoner. From what I've heard, Tsunade had become Hokage and, for a while, the village flourished. She fell ill though and by the time she was better, she was different; cruel, pale and demented. She forced a lockdown on the village, only allowing in-and-out access to merchants and ninja on missions. There were curfews, mysterious poisoning, public whipping and only the richest and most powerful had any sort of mercy treated on them. If you were a native to this village you were chained to it. If you were gone for longer than allowed you were hunted down and dragged back. If you were caught rebelling, you were made silent.

It's easy to believe that I was silenced very, very quickly.

It was before curfew now but it was the only time safe enough to have one of our meetings. Men in black with swirled animal masks patrolled the streets, arresting anyone out without a good reason. They were on the roofs, in the streets, as trained ninja, they were in the shadows as well. Only the quietest of us could afford to sneak to and from these meetings but silence a necessity but an enemy all the same. It was still very dark but the sun had just started to bleach the sky enough that my blond hair blended in with the golden shadows. I pressed myself against a wall, hand flattening my spiky hair, as a guard slinked down a street nearby. I held my breath and squinted my eyes, careful to not let the sun reflect off the blue.

After he had dipped away I counted silently to three. Another man in black walked by, watching. Everyone knew the guards always traveled in twos. I counted to three again and then made my way into a dark noodle shop. It was closed but unlocked. I shut the door behind me and picked up a bowl of warm ramen off the counter, nodding a silent thank you to the shopkeeper, a frightened looking old man who nodded back.

I made my way to the large office in the back of the store, already mostly filled with my friends. I smiled and found an empty seat next to Sakura. If anyone bloomed with adulthood it was her. She had chopped off her long bubblegum hair for a more practical spiked pixie cut. She fondly patted my cheek with a small, gloved hand and turned her attention to Kakashi. He stood patiently until we were quiet, slurping away at our bowls. He had been in the rebellion the longest and still had not been caught to be silenced. He was honestly a standing testament.

"I have found us help," he started bluntly. That caused most of us to stop eating and stare at him in surprise. Most of us, I was hungry, I could multitask. But I was interested. No village had stepped forward to assist us. Tsunade had made it clear that any help to the rebels would be taken as an act of war. A war none wanted to fight for a few silent ninja. I nudged Neji, on my other side and nodded my head at Kakashi. Neji nodded, standing to ask the question in my eyes.

"What village are these people from? Why are they willing to risk war?"

"They are not from any village. They are wandering ninja. It seems they heard of our situation and want to help us and I for one am not going to complain. They are coming tonight, they should be here soon."

"If they aren't caught and silenced first," muttered Sakura darkly.

For all her madness Tsunade knew better than to silence merchants or ninja from other villages. For all her threats and rages, she knew better than to start a war. With all the tension her village was causing she'd have no allies besides her masked guards and reluctant, rebellious ninja. I slurped another mouthful as the sliding office door once again opened. A spiky blond lock flopped into my eyes as if it was as surprised as I was. Two ninja stood in the door, a tall male and a smaller woman.

The man, though young and slim, had white hair and happy golden eyes. He had tanned skin and the lean body of a ninja. He wore no headband or symbols that lay claim to any village or country. His entire attentions were focused on a large bowl of noodles he was slurping loudly. He acknowledged us with a good-natured wink. The woman beside him stood very still, obviously uncomfortable. She had her long indigo hair was up in a high ponytail and was wearing deep purples and black. Tied tightly over her eyes was a thick leather blindfold, dyed deeply purple and intricately designed. Veins bulged out of her temples gently around the band. Though there was no way light could get through the thick material she didn't have the awkward shakiness of one who couldn't see.

I'm not ashamed, I was staring. She had an incredible body, even for a ninja. Her skin was very pale, so much so her veins stood out blue against white. Though her body showed the leanness of one who worked out her breasts and hips were curvy and feminine. Though no one touched or alerted her attention she turned her face to me and frowned. She angled her body slightly away from me almost disapprovingly. As if she could see me watching her. I shrugged. I was a grown man. I knew what a woman's body felt like, I felt no shame wondering what hers felt like under my hands. Knowing she couldn't see I winked at her but was surprised when her cheeks turned a frustrated red.

Kakashi nodded at the two graciously; clearly relieved they had shown up. "This is Susebron and Saiko They're the best assassins in the Fire Country, many of their…," he paused, searching for the world. "Employers have been left satisfied. They have agreed to volunteer their services for our cause. It seems they're sympathetic."

The male, Susebron, nodded quickly slurping down a large mouthful. "We'd be more than happy to help!" he said with a large, friendly smile. "But we don't know the area or the rules. that's where you guys step in! Or, who even Kakashi-san chooses that is, to help us."

In his excitement he flicked his fork away from him nearly hitting Saiko. She moved barely noticeably and it zoomed by her head. Susebron smiled sympathetically at her. They waited for Kakashi to make arrangements.

"Yes, well," he said, looking concerned. "As he said they do not know this area well. They can physically handle themselves but we do not want them to draw attentions to themselves. We cannot afford to have them silenced. Neji, would you mind housing them? You manor has extra room still?"

As Neji nodded and leaned over to talk quietly into Tenten's ear, Susebron raised a hand. "Silenced? What is that? Will they imprison us? Saiko and I have escaped more than our fair share of prisons, don't be concerned about that."

Kakashi frowned and shook his head. "To be silenced is…to have your tongue cut out. You cannot summon assistance; you cannot call for help or yell for rebellion. You can still use your chakra based techniques but it takes years upon years of training."

The two frowned so I opened my mouth. Saiko covered her mouth with a slim hand and stepped back. Whatever frustrated streaks colored her cheeks bled into white. I frowned and closed my mouth. I was used to disgust when showing my wounds but this wasn't disgust. It was something else but I couldn't pinpoint it on a stranger. Susebron stepped quickly to me and looked me closely in the face.

"You still fight? You've had the training, obviously, but you're so willing to fight without a voice?" he asked.

I shrugged. Wars were not won with words anymore. Sometimes a fist could say as much a book if you placed it correctly. Sakura patted my hair again, almost sadly and left her fingers tangled in my hair. Saiko dropped her hand and turned her attentions back to Kakashi.

"You guys may rest from your trip; we'll meet again tomorrow morning. Curfew is over but be careful. Strange nin here always draws attention. Neji will lead you back."

With that everyone stood up and made their way to the door. Susebron and Saiko waited patiently for Neji and Tenten to stand and followed them out. I followed them out. Sakura wrapped her hands around my neck, squeezed and trotted off in the opposite direction. We were all silent for a while before Saiko pulled Susebron's head to her lips and whispered. The tall man turned and smiled at me, throwing an arm over my shoulder. I smiled curiously at him. What a friendly, social killer he was.

"Are you guarding us, Naruto-kun? I'm sure we'll be fine!"

Neji shook his head, throwing a pale-eyed glance at him. "When Naruto got silenced he stayed in one of the spare room at our apartment. We found no need to make him leave."

Saiko tilted her head down, as if looking at Tenten's waist. I followed the direction of her attentions to the weapons mistress' hand. A small diamond ring glinted on her slim finger. I looked back at Saiko and saw a small, satisfied smile on her mouth. A small scar divided her bottom lip as if it had been split and healed badly years ago. Her face colored again as she somehow noticed my attentions again. How was she doing that?

Quietly, in a coarse voice she finally spoke. "Do you still live with your family, Neji-san?"

My ears itched. Something tugged at the edge of my mind. But my stomach growled again, as Neji let us into his large apartment so I shook it off. He was frowning too, although it wasn't his usual I'm-Neji-and-everything-and-everyone-but-Tenten-su cks frown.

"I do not. Due to some unforeseen family complications I moved out as soon as I was able. Tenten came with me, Naruto followed."

She raised a small dark eyebrow but said nothing more. Neji led the two down the hallway into their rooms as I followed Tenten to the kitchen. She handed me a small dry erase board and a black marker with a grin. She pulled a second one out of her pack and scribbled 'this is why you were so quiet? you forgot this? baka!' I rolled my eyes at her and wrote 'you write like a boy' in return. She threw back her head and laughed in that guttural way we Silenced laugh. Everything that comes out of your mouth sounds funny when you don't have a tongue. Except yawning. I can still yawn like a champ.

I made myself a bowl of noodles for myself while she munched on an apple. Ever the star ninja, this one was. I had to hand it to her though, when you needed someone she was there. Voice or not she always made herself a pillar even if she didn't know you. When my tongue got cut out, a bit more violently than usual I guess I pushed a button, I had nowhere to go. Since being silenced as a punishment there would be no hospital that would take me. I remember the first day. No anesthesia, trying to gasp and cry but gagging on your own blood. There was so much blood I'd drown in it before I bled to death. I was heaving on all fours in the street near my destroyed apartment, mouth open like some deranged dog, blood pouring out of my mouth. My usually orange jumpsuit looked like some horrible lava lamp of red and orange.

Neji found me first and handled it fairly calmly. He tore off the bottom half of his tunic and stuffed it into my mouth. He ordered me around, told me to look at the ground so the blood dripped into the cloth and not down my throat, and breathe through my nose. He knew how to handle this kind of wound quietly. When Tenten had come to Neji and Lee, she had been in worse shape. No tongue to speak but nakedness and bruises speaking for themselves, he had exploded and raged. She tells me he left her with Lee and went to destroy the entire village by himself. She half-believed he could have if Lee hadn't picked her up and sprinted to the Hyuga mansion in time. Neji's father and uncle both attacked and took down Neji before he got close enough to attract attention. They were the only reason the stupid brunette lived. By the time Neji got back to Tenten she was bandaged up and clothed but no longer a maiden. She was pale and broken but had come to terms with the fact she'd never say 'I do.'

Neji was on one knee in the blink of an eye. He brought her chalk and on his sweaty, dirty shirt she wrote 'Yes.' In my opinion the girl could do better. She was funny and pretty and could take a punch like no other but Neji needed her. He had a temper and her quiet serenity was good for him. The boy was a bomb waiting to explode.

But in this day and age, we all were.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Oldest**

**N**aruto

It was late at night but I wasn't much of a sleeper anymore.

I should have been. Being a soundless ninja takes energy. I was always tired, always hungry but I couldn't sleep much anymore. I lounged on the couch, doodling little foxes on my whiteboard while the television whispered quietly in the background. Warm Konoha summers made being lazy fairly easy. The soft sound of bare feet on hardwood drew my attention to the dark hallway behind the couch. Saiko was paused in the hallway, her blindfolded face facing the television. Face half-covered or not, the girl was a looker. In a tight turtleneck and her roommates sagging boxers, she looked incredible. Her long white fingers tapped thoughtfully on her bare midriff. The blinking television made her seem to glow blue. She shifted her attention to me, and stepped towards me. The girl walked toe-to-heel like some kind of dancer.

I sat up so she could sit on the edge of the couch and watched her. If I could see her eyes I'm sure they would be anywhere but on me. Finally she looked at me and in that rough voice of hers asked "How did you lose your tongue?"

I blinked. She sat quietly watching the adult cartoons with a frown. Finally, not knowing if she could see it or not I wrote 'it's a long story' and waved it in front of her face. She grabbed my hands and held them still so she could – somehow- read my chicken scratch. The thing I never understood about female ninja was how their hands were so soft when they were fighters. My hands were large and calloused, rough and kind of thick. I didn't mind them; they got the job done but when sitting in her small soft hands I suddenly got self-conscious. I pulled my hands away from her and erased my board, thinking. She must have thought I was refusing because she stood up and turned to walk away. The squeaking on my white board brought her back.

'I had just gotten home from training. Jiraiya had taken me after my friend had run away. I was gone for years. I honestly should have stayed away.

Jiraiya saw it. He tried to get me to leave with him again. He said we could make a home together we just couldn't stay here but this was my home. This was my mom and my dad's home. I couldn't just turn my back and he didn't give me a good reason to. So I stayed.

I don't blame him for leaving me, he had no choice and he would have gotten himself killed keeping me out of trouble.

After going a few weeks of not seeing any of my friends, and I mean none of them, I got suspicious. Sakura and Kakashi never made the move to come see me; I didn't even see a flash of them. So I went to Tsunade. Maybe she knew something, maybe they were on a mission. Maybe everyone was on a mission.

Usually the Hokage is open for walk-ins for her citizens. When I went to see her and was met by a group of violent guards I knew something was up. When they forcefully made me leave, I took it as a challenge. I couldn't take a hint. I continued trying to see her and I continued to draw attention to myself. In this town, you never want to draw attention to yourself. All attentions are bad attentions and I was drawing in bad attentions.

I came home from one of the more violent exchanges to find one of the guards in my apartment. He wore a mask, like all of them, of a snake. He was sitting on my couch eating my noodles like it was nothing. He warned me to leave well enough alone, that he liked me and wouldn't like to see me punished. But that he would do it himself if I didn't lay off, stay quiet and find work. If you knew me before my silence you'd know that doesn't work for me.

So one night I snuck into Tsunade own rooms. She lives in this big manor near the Hokage's tower. There were noises where there should have been silence. This was the darkest point in the night! It should have been silent but there was scuffling. Crying and screaming. I followed the sound to a large I guess it's meant to be dining room. As slowly as possibly, my stomach flat on the ground, I snuck open the door. It was a big room and it was filled up. Tsunade stood near the door with her back towards me. I couldn't see her face and she had her hands on her hips. There were people in the room, dirty and crying. Guards stood around the room, holding people down and keeping them from running.

Tsunade was making some weird deluded speech. Her voice was different, like she drew out her S's too long. She said they betrayed her when all she had been doing was trying to make Konoha better, that all she was trying to do was making Konoha rise above the other villages. A man yelled at her saying he hadn't done anything. One of the guards hit him hard in the head and he didn't move again. She said that even speaking of revolting was betraying her, betraying the very village. She said that even in our more modern era, people them will be punished like betrayers. There was a kid there, Saiko. He was barely twelve and he was her first target. She grabbed him and while he was screaming she took a knife and shoved it in his mouth. But he wouldn't stop screaming and squirming and crying. I felt her chakra, she was forcing it into the boy so he wouldn't pass out, so that he could feel it. The guards moved in on the others, my God there was even a pregnant woman.

I charged her and I'm not sorry. I am sorry that I hit her though. I try not to make a point of attacking people who don't know they're in a battle. I got her though; I punched her in the back of the head and tackled her. She was strong, she was way too strong, and she didn't even stumble. The guards got me pretty quickly. They held me down and she started talking again, yelling at the people that they were corrupting even the trained ninja. One of the villagers told her to just take me. He said I was just some demon child, he said I had no family and would not be missed. I agreed with him. I was fine with dying for these people. Becoming a ninja meant I was willing to give up my life for them. She knew I'd be more than happy so of course she didn't agree to it.

She started with the young ones, letting me watch. The guards killed most of them. They let a few live, the beautiful pregnant woman got cut from her eye to her lip. She should have survived that but she'd never be pretty again. But she got to keep her tongue. I might have kept mine had I not been screaming the entire time. I smelled blood like it was clogged in my nose. When every person had been cut or killed they were dragged out of the room until it was just me. Well me, the three guards on my back and Tsunade. She finally looked at me after all this time and her eyes were yellow. There was a black slit where her pupil should have been. I asked her why she was doing this, why she had changed so much. She smiled at me and got on her knees in front of me. She said that since she couldn't take Konoha down from the outside she'd do it from the inside.

Then she pulled out my tongue and cut it but it was so much worse than the others. With them she had just sliced once and led them away but with me she did it bit by bit. She cut off the tip and waited a minute then cut off another tiny section. My God the blade wasn't even that sharp, she had to saw at it. I'm ashamed that I screamed for her, she enjoyed it. I screamed and cried and she got as far into my mouth as she could. I was biting her but I don't know if the blood in my mouth was hers or mine. She covered my mouth with sharp nails into my cheeks and whispered that maybe I should learn to keep my mouth shut. She said good luck fighting back now.

She had them throw me in an alley near my house. I was close enough to see my apartment but too far away to crawl to it and die in bed like I wanted to. Because my house was burning, crackling. I got a headache while my senses tried to sort out the smell of my own blood and the clog of everything I owned burning. I sat down against the cool wall of whatever building they threw me against and sat gagging. Eventually the blood in my mouth starting choking me, a powerful ninja freshly trained and strong drowning in his own blood. I gagged, my body started heaving when I felt hands on my back. I got flipped over onto my hands and knees my head low like some sort of whipped down. It didn't work so finally the person picked me up so I was completely off the ground with my head facing down. I immediately started throwing up the blood in my system. The person, Neji I guess you know now, was using gravity to get my lungs clear.

I threw up and eventually he let me down and I heaved and cried for a while. He got me onto to my feet and took me to Tenten and Sakura. Tenten cleaned me up, consoled me as only one in my position could have while Sakura did all she could do to heal me. The girl is a great healer, the best of her time probably but it was damaged, cut and sliced to hell. She was barely able to stop the bleeding. I slept for days. When I got up Neji and Tenten got what they could from my house which was a little more than nothing. My weapons and scrolls were all the survived. With Sakura's help they got me some clothes, more black less orange which is easier to sneak around in I guess. As soon as I was able I went with Neji to one of the meetings. Apparently the reason everyone had been avoiding me was to keep me safe. They were suspected members of the rebellion, my being seen with them would draw more attentions to me. Although they obviously shouldn't have worried about it.

I don't know what happened to her and honestly I try to give her the benefit of the doubt but I don't think there's any way around this. I don't know what happened to Tsunade, what changed her but there needs to be an end to it. If there comes an end and it turns bloody I hope it's me that does it, I hope it's someone who still loves her.'

I had scribbled all over my board, squeezing as much into the small thing so I wouldn't have to erase and think a long time again. Saiko sat quietly, watching over my shoulder. Her hair draped my shoulder. When I had finished she sat back thoughtfully, face turned towards the ignored television. Thoughtfully, almost under her breath she asked, "You love her still? After she tortured you and took your voice? Why?"

I tapped my marker for a moment, watching her. She still wasn't looking at me so I felt I had the chance to look at her. She had a long delicate neck, healthy indigo hair, and even the leather headband around her eyes was intricately designed and decorated.

'Once I decide I love someone I never really stop. I don't care what they do or how long they've been gone from me. I never really forget my precious people.'

"Like whom?"

I frowned, thoughtfully but obliged. 'Like Sakura, she's been my partner since school. Tenten understands me on a level that no one can, she knows what it's like to want to whisper in the dark and cry without a sound. Neji has saved my life over and over again. He's saved the life of someone' I paused thoughtfully. Suddenly I was shy, which was weird for me. I'm freakin' Naruto. 'He's saved the life of this girl I knew, his cousin. We weren't really friends, she was in all my classes and the same rank as me but we never really clicked. She avoided me but not the way some of the adults did. She acted like she wanted to know me but couldn't. When the rumors surfaced about the girl, she faded completely away from everyone. I don't remember what I was doing that night but I was running on the roof of their manor, running to practice or something. I heard him say her name, I heard her spit out his like he was hurting her. I didn't mean to do anything wrong, I just poked my head in the window to check. She was on the floor and bleeding. The girl covered herself up pretty thoroughly during the day but she had a body on her and it was, it was bleeding and damaged and he was touching her and hurting her. I couldn't stop myself. I dived right in and punched one of the strongest members of one of the strongest houses in the village. Neji and I saved her, we took her back here to safety but she left that night. I didn't realize that I cared about her until she was gone. I didn't really feel empty until…'

I looked up but Saiko had gotten off the couch. I turned just in time to see her pale legs disappear into Susebron's room. They were a weird couple, those two. I ignored the flush of jealousy and wiped my board clean.


End file.
